James Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On the same issue, the Government will not make any apology for ensuring a minimum wage is in place that gives people a decent living. I am also an employer. There is no doubt that very few employers pay the minimum wage and most pay above the minimum wage. The area of relativity is a major problem in many sectors. However, one can see how this can be turned on its head in some sectors, in other words, the idea of equal work for equal pay applies. This is not a simple problem to solve. It is a complex issue and I fully subscribe to the idea that if someone is working for a company for a long time, he or she will be more valuable to the business than someone who has been working for one year. This difference needs to be reflected, although it is not a simple matter. I could not let the comment on the minimum wage go unchallenged.

On the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, I fail to see the reason for preventing smaller operators from coming together to purchase when there is a choice of different suppliers. I have no doubt wiser heads and legal minds in the commission will have a different view. In principle, however, I do not see why the smaller retailers cannot play on the same pitch. The witnesses referred to Musgraves, which has substantial buying power when it is negotiating a deal to buy X product. Individual operators cannot possibly compete and must, therefore, compete in a different way.

The joint committee wants to support small and medium enterprises and the shops in villages and towns. As this is a public meeting, I am happy to place on record my view that people must be realistic. While they may be able to buy goods more cheaply in a multiple in a large town ten miles away, if they want to be able to nip down to a local shop for bread, butter, milk or a newspaper, they must support it and be prepared to accept that such shops cannot buy in the same bulk as the large multiple ten or 15 miles away. If these shops are not supported, they will no longer be available. That needs to be stated. I have always tried to buy certain goods in smaller shops, even though they cost more, because I know the shop will not be there for much longer if we do not do so.